


Of Costumes and Trickery

by theriveroflight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Identity Reveal, Lila Rossi Lies, Lila Rossi Redemption, Mistaken Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27463978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: They didn't do it on purpose, okay?For Master_Spoilers's Post-Halloween Doppleganger Challenge.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Nathaniel Kurtzberg & Lila Rossi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	Of Costumes and Trickery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Master_Spoiler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Master_Spoiler/gifts).



> For the following challenge:
> 
> "FROM THE MAKERS OF THE KICK THE DOG CHALLENGE COMES  
>  THE MIRACULOUS POST-HALLOWEEN DOPPLEGANGER CHALLENGE!  
> Nathaniel went as Chat Noir for Halloween, for no particular reason. Being the artist he is, he went all out, and at first glance he looks just like the real thing.  
> What he wasn't expecting was to be lost in the middle of the city on November 1st in the dark hours of the morning, his only companion being a very sleep-deprived Lila Rossi, who dressed up as Ladybug for Halloween in an attempt to trick Chat Noir.  
> Apparently, Nath's costume was good enough to fool her.  
> Apparently, both of their costumes were good enough to fool Hawkmoth.  
> Now an artist and a liar have to deal with an akuma that thinks theyre the real deal.
> 
> The challenge:  
> You have one week. The fics are due November 8th on Midnight, PST (that's the midnight AFTER the day, not before) They can be as long as you like.
> 
> Nathaniel must either defeat or play a crucial role in defeating the akuma  
> Lila must play a crucial role in defeating the akuma, willing or not.  
> The fact that it is November must be commented on.
> 
> Bonus points will be awarded if [salt] Lila is humiliated in some form, Hawkmoth never learns he attacked fakes, and if the real LB and CN make an appearance and are really tired and/or dressed in the costumes they wore for Halloween the night before.
> 
> As with the Kick The Dog challenge, humor is encouraged, and an authentic Maspers Crappy Doodle will be awarded to the winner.  
> You have one week.  
> Have fun.  
> And please dont traumatize me this time."
> 
> For those of you who didn't read the tags, this is a Lila redemption fic. Kindly leave if you are looking for salt.

It is October 31st, sometime in the twenty-first century (but not 2020, because 2020 sucks). Around 10 PM, most likely, when parents are likely being boring and attempting to get a healthy amount of sleep.

Nathaniel had made a Chat Noir costume for no good reason (Marc was the reason, because Marc had a little bit of a crush on Chat Noir, and Nathaniel wanted to  _ exploit  _ that, but really does that qualify as a good reason?). Paris didn’t trick-or-treat, and nobody he knew was holding a party, but he could still go out and  _ use  _ it.

He affixed the blonde wig to his hair, brushed it in his face in the same roguish way of Chat Noir. He carefully places the green contacts in his eyes.

Oh,  _ perfect. _

Or, as Chat Noir would say... _ purr _ fect.

* * *

It is a little later on the night of October 31st.

Lila Rossi did not ordinarily resort to disguises — but this was a last-ditch effort to disparage Ladybug’s name.

She cursed as she placed the styled dark blue wig on her head, adjusting her regular hair so it fit underneath.

And, of course, the  _ contacts.  _ Getting the suit was the easiest part. Getting a convincing-enough yo-yo was also child’s play. But  _ poking lenses into her eyes  _ — how do people regularly wear these?

Either way, it achieved the desired effect. Her eyes were now blue, and she looked just like Ladybug with her hands and face covered in some makeup to lighten her skin tone.

* * *

The bells of Notre Dame tolled.

_ One. _

Nathaniel began to silently count. He didn’t have a watch, for the sake of accuracy, and his phone was at home.

_ Two. _

Lila Rossi was well and truly tired. The bells blared in her head, her headache making them echo about.

_ Three.  _

Nathaniel was well and truly lost. He could head towards the sound of the bells, but…

_ Four. _

Lila heard the sound of a crosswalk light beep, and dashed across before anyone could hit her.

_ Five. _

Nathaniel wished he had a magical staff like Chat Noir, for goodness sake. It would certainly make it easier to tell where he lived.

_ Six. _

Lila just needed to find Chat Noir. Or that Ladyblogger girl, but who knows if she would be awake at the moment.

_ Seven. _

_ Eight. _

_ Nine. _

_ Ten. _

Running was more exhausting than it seemed. Nathaniel, especially, wasn’t super in shape.

_ Eleven. _

Lila could be found by anyone and she wouldn’t notice at that point.

_ Twelve. _

Nathaniel noted that it was midnight. No longer Halloween, it seemed. Well, he still needed to get home before his parents found out that he snuck out…

“Chat Noir?”

Wait. He squinted. “Ladybug?”

* * *

At just past midnight on October 31st, “Ladybug” and “Chat Noir” have finally met, and the protagonists of this story have now come together! Yes, I said protagonists.

The disconnect between what she saw and what she heard was  _ obvious. _

Chat Noir cleared his throat. “What are you doing out right now?” Oh, there it was. He sounded more like himself now.

“Needed to talk to you,” she answered.

“Okay. Is there something important going on?” Panic seemed to be rising in his voice.

“I just need to set the record straight,” Lila answered. Even in her exhaustion, she could still remember her mission…

“About what?”

And then the akuma landed in front of them.

* * *

Of course there’s an akuma, this is Miraculous Ladybug!

Well.

Nathaniel was tempted to say some  _ very  _ unbecoming things.

“Ladybug! Chat Noir! You have met your match, for I take the rejected and I resurrect them anew — I am Frankenstien, and you will pay!”

Pay for what?

“What are we paying for?” Ladybug yawned. Nathaniel felt that deep in his soul.

“All of Paris will pay for my rejection!”

“What did you do, attempt to steal candy from your neighbors? Not get invited to your friends’ costume party? I know that blows, but you gotta calm down,” Nathaniel said.

Frankenstein winced. “That doesn’t  _ matter!” _

Well, that quip came a little too close for the akuma, but Nathaniel honestly didn’t care about that at this point. He was  _ tired  _ and  _ not the real Chat Noir. _

He didn’t have destruction at his fingertips, which might not be good if the real Ladybug, next to him, needed Chat Noir to use Cataclysm for whatever plan might come out of her Lucky Charm.

* * *

Well. The akuma would throw a wrench in her plan.

She couldn’t summon Lucky Charm, even if she wanted to, no matter how convincing her costume was.

“We need to find the akumatized object.” She straightened, and did her best to sound like Ladybug. “Let’s see.”

It’s hard to see in the dark. “Chat, you have night vision, right?”

“You bet I do, milady.”

“Look out for anything that doesn’t look like it would be part of Frankenstein’s monster.”

“I haven’t read that book — we don’t exactly cover English literature at my school.”

She sighed. “He looks mostly like a regular person in the book, save for some really creepy eyes. Hawk Moth went with the more stereotypical movie depiction.”

Lila could see Chat Noir squinting. “There’s a charm at the head of the nail in the neck instead of an actual nailhead — I think the person was wearing a necklace before and the akuma went into the charm.”

“Okay, so how do we destroy it?”

“Are you going to stand around talking forever,” Frankenstein demanded, “or are you going to fight me like real superheroes?”

Oh, the irony. She wasn’t a real superhero, after all.

Chat Noir extended his staff. “Alright, Frankenstein, let’s go!” He batted at her, twirling it to defect blows. He couldn’t quite spin it fast enough, she could see, and so she stepped in with her yo-yo to deflect.

She could understand fatigue, after all. And a yo-yo was easier to keep spinning quickly as a shield, but it didn’t  _ glow  _ the same way Ladybug’s did when used for that purpose. That could give her away.

They both dived out of the way of a zap.

* * *

There were a few more failures. Luckily, the only people recording weren’t particularly popular, but one of the amateur videos would end up on the Ladyblog afterwards.

This was not going well. Nathaniel’s inexperience was probably displayed, and Ladybug wasn’t even  _ asking any questions.  _ Despite her intent to “set the record straight,” whatever that would have meant.

“What’s going on with you two?” Frankenstein asked.

Nathaniel didn’t know the answer to that question.

“We’re Ladybug and Chat Noir, and we are  _ very  _ sleep-deprived, but we will still stand to destroy you!” She tossed out her yo-yo, but it fell short of reaching the charm. She looked down at the yo-yo, and flung her wrist trying to recall it.

He jumped feet-first to hit Frankenstein in the stomach, landing on top of the akumatized victim. He used his baton to bash the charm on the head of the nail, and  _ oh thank goodness Cataclysm wasn’t necessary. _

Wait. Ladybug hadn’t used Lucky Charm...how would they clean up the city?

The butterfly came fluttering out, and the person transformed back to normal.

“Um. This might be a bad time to tell you this.”

* * *

It was an absolutely horrible time to say it.

“I’m not really Ladybug.” She used her wrist to wipe off some of the makeup. The white powder clung to the material of the fake suit.

“Well, not-Ladybug, I’m not really Chat Noir, either.”

“If you aren’t really Chat Noir, and I’m not really Ladybug, then where are the real ones?” Lila felt as though she was going to collapse any moment, but she needed to stay up to see the duo. She could advocate for herself…

“If you aren’t Ladybug, then what were you going to say to set the record straight?” he demanded.

“Who are you really?!” they both exclaimed.

“The butterfly’s getting away,” the victim said.

They all paused to look up at the butterfly fluttering up into the sky.

“Gotcha!”

* * *

“Ladybug” and “Chat Noir” are well and truly busted now, dear audience. Will they face consequences for being impostors? Oh, consequences aren’t a thing in Miraculous Ladybug? Well, I am the narrator, and  _ there are now!  _ They might not be negative...but they will certainly last.

The real Ladybug nabbed the butterfly, landing in front of the three of them. The actual Chat Noir was shortly behind her. They both seemed exhausted, Ladybug having a...bunny ear headband? And Chat Noir with face paint.

“Time to de-evilize.” Ladybug opened the yo-yo. “Bye-bye, little butterfly. Lucky Charm!” A bottle of makeup remover falls into her hands.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” The cure wooshed around.

“Who are you two?” Chat Noir asked.

“We have no idea.” Nathaniel shrugged. “The akuma thought we were legit, I thought she was legit, she thought I was legit, I was just out here to show off my Halloween costume.”

“It’s November 1st,” Chat Noir pointed out.

“I may have...an ulterior motive…” The fake Ladybug coughed. “But I don’t regret helping.”

“You want us to take you home? Or well, Chat. I need to recharge before I take anyone back. I’m exhausted.”

“So are we,” the fake Ladybug said. “I want to go home as soon as possible.”

“I want to know who you are,” the actual Ladybug declared. “You two seem like you’d make good heroes in the future.”

* * *

“Are you sure about that?” Lila shied away from Ladybug.

“I’m Nathaniel Kurtzberg, creator of that one comic,” the false Chat Noir said, and  _ wait,  _ Lila thought Nathaniel was a redhead — oh, yeah, she’s a brunette, not a bluenette or whatever. Seriously, who has blue hair?

Nathaniel took off his mask, but that didn’t help much.

She took off hers, and wiped off a little more makeup from her face. “Lila Rossi, at your service.”

They all looked  _ bewildered  _ at the reveal.

“Lila?” Nathaniel seemed shocked. “But I thought you would never do a good thing in your life!”

“I have a heart, okay?” she retorted. “And also a devotion to  _ playing a part in character,  _ which I’m sure as a fellow patron of the arts you would appreciate.”

“I can’t believe I worked with you! I can’t believe I helped you!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir just looked shocked.

“Is it really that hard to believe? I don’t...I wanted to ask you to give me a second chance. A way to drag myself back up. I don’t  _ want  _ to do his dirty work anymore.”

“You worked with Hawk Moth?” Ladybug’s earrings beeped, punctuating her statement with a sense of urgency.

“I did. Willingly. But I don’t want to do it anymore. I want you to give me a second chance. I want you all to forgive me. I don’t really know how I can make up for it.”

“No more lying.” Nathaniel stomped. “There’s a start.”

“You don’t have any reason to trust me when I say that I’m  _ trying.  _ But isn’t tonight enough?”

“It’s technically morning,” Ladybug pointed out. “And I need to get out of here before I transform back.”

“I’ll handle them, Ladybug. You go home and get some good sleep,” Chat Noir answered.

* * *

Ladybug did end up going home and falling asleep, but it wasn’t great sleep. But her story isn’t the center of the early, early morning of November 1st.

“I know you’re both artists,” Chat said as he escorted both of them, “but never do that again.”

“You were both sleeping until you came in,” Nathaniel pointed out. He bit back a yawn. “The two of us had the akuma land right in front of us, ripe for the fighting. And it actively challenged us. What were we supposed to do?”

“Call someone else? I was bewildered when I saw you two fighting.”

Chat set Nathaniel down at the windowsill. “Get in. Sleep well, and thank you.”

He took Lila off to go to her own building.

Nathaniel perhaps thought that Lila wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

* * *

How did Chat Noir carry both of them? Don’t ask stupid questions. He was holding one of them, and the other piggybacked. You can picture who’s who.

“Sleep well, Lila,” Chat said. “And I’m sure Ladybug will give you a second chance, even though she shouldn’t. She’s good at that.”

“I’m not expecting a Miraculous or anything. I just don’t want to be completely vilified,” Lila responded. She yawned. “Good night, Chat Noir.”

Lila didn’t think she could ever wear the Ladybug suit again.

**Author's Note:**

> Join us on the [Miraculous Fanworks Discord server](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) if you're interested in meeting a growing community of creators and Miraculous Ladybug fans. There are other mini-challenges like this, and also larger ones monthly!
> 
> Follow me elsewhere:
> 
> Tumblr / alto-tenure (main) & beunforgotten (writing)  
> Twitter / riverofliight (inactive)


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